Matters of the Heart
by pacey-joeyfan123
Summary: Ron and Hermione are still friends...or are they? What happens when they get stuck togather alone, and they have to confront their true feelings for each other? Will Ron still choose to run away? R&R my first fic.also this was based on dawson's creek.


Rain poured down on Hogwarts and a giant dark cloud hovered over the school, casting a huge shadow. The grounds were damp and dreary, not a single soul in sight. It was a cold evening, but inside was a different matter; inside, there was a party. Or at least in the Gryffindor common room. All the Gryffindor students paraded around and cheered. It had been a long, tough, rough game between Slytherin and Gryffindor but at the end, it was the Gryffindors left standing. It had been the final match, and the Gryffindors had been cheering for someone in particular. No, not for their Seeker... For the Keeper. It was one of those moments where he shone, and wasn't known as the _best friend. _He was looking forward to that evening of glory, with no inkling of the fact that his evening would, in fact, be very different, and evening that could possibly be much better, one where he couldn't run away, but had to face things.

"Ron, Ron, Ron!" the Gryffindors cheered.

Ron's face took a slight pink hue, but that was quickly replaced with a rather triumphant looking expression. "It was nothing, really. I just wasn't going to let the Slytherins have the last laugh. Were we?"

"No!" the crowd roared.

"Okay, come on, let's settle down," Seamus said over the shouts.

The crowd booed, and Dean threw a rolled up ball of paper, which Seamus picked up and threw back.

"Oh, come on now. Settle down, we have a great supply of Butterbeer. All thanks to Ron, here," Seamus shouted at the top of his lungs. "Thanks, mate, really. Now the real party can start."

"Again, it was nothing really. Besides, it wasn't hard to find." Ron liked this change; it was great being the center of attention, especially after coming from a family of seven.

Over the noise of the crowd, Harry listened to Ron's weak attempts at modesty. He smirked; it was quite funny, actually, but in a way he was glad Ron was getting this attention. Ron had always wanted this. Everyone started to scatter around, drinking and talking with friends. Ron grabbed a Butterbeer from a long table; as he was about to take a sip, Harry approached.

"This is quite something," Harry commented.

"I know, I never thought this would happen to me."

"Well, there were some sharp saves. Do you think this will attract Fleur?"

"Ha ha ha, Harry. That's my brother's wife you're talking about."

"That doesn't stop you from fancying her, now, does it?" Harry didn't wait for a reply. "I'm gonna go talk to Seamus. Enjoy your party."

"Thanks, mate." Ron took a drink of the Butterbeer and smiled. This truly was sort of his party. He looked around, only to find Hermione huddled in a corner reading a book. He walked towards her. "Why don't you grab a Butterbeer and enjoy yourself?"

Hermione looked up. "And what makes you say I'm not enjoying myself?"

"No, nothing, just a random guess." Ron stared at the book Hermione was holding, which had obviously seen better days. "What book are you reading?"

"_Hogwarts: A History_. Why?"

"Just wondering. Haven't you read that book like a thousand times?"

Hermione gave him a skeptical look. "Maybe..."

"Well, okay than. I'm going to go, but you're welcome to join the party whenever you want."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." Hermione flashed him a genuine smile. Ron couldn't help but smile back. He left Hermione to go talk with a group of sixth-year girls. He enthusiastically told them about the saves he had made earlier, and the girls seemed quite entertained. They giggled and once in a while 'ooohed' and 'aaahed'. From the far corner, Hermione watched and shook her head; it was still the same old Ron. She focused once more on her reading. Ron moved from group to group, rambling on and on about the earlier match, until he finally settled down in one small group.

"Hey, Ron, happy, aren't you?" Dean started. "Wouldn't blame you, with all the girls on your tail. Too bad most of them aren't from our year."

"Doesn't matter if they're not from our year, fact is they're girls," Ron said, with uncharacteristic confidence.

"True, Seamus can't get _any_ girls," Dean joked with a laugh.

Seamus, who just happened to be standing next to them, replied, "What are you talking about? I have my girl right here." He put his arm around Lavender, who was also standing with them. Lavender only smiled.

"Yeah, sure. I don't think Lavender here seems as happy as you," Dean said, laughing. Seamus merely grumbled. Just then, Ginny walked past them to get to the table with the Butterbeers. "You know what? This is a perfect time to go get a refreshing drink." Without another word, Dean walked faster than normal to the long table. Ron was too happy with how things were to care who flirted with his sister.

"And he thinks I'm desperate," Seamus said jokingly.

"Well at least he's charming," Lavender suddenly said.

"Oh, so you like charming, huh? Well I can be charming too," Seamus said, trying to be smooth and failing miserably.

Lavender gave him one of her fake smiles. "Right… Seamus, will you be a love and go get me a Butterbeer?" Lavender fluttered her eyelashes at him.

"Of course, anything for a pretty lady." Seamus walked towards the table.

Lavender turned her attention to Ron. "Some 'date'."

"Oh, so you're on a date with Seamus?" Ron was actually kind of surprised; after what had just occurred, he hadn't imagined that Lavender and Seamus were on an actual date.

"Yeah, I'm quite miserable actually," Lavender said, a little too dramatically.

"Well then, I'm sorry for that." Ron stood there, looking calm, but his insides were exploding with emotion.

"You know, you can help me out," Lavender said seductively.

"I can?"

"Lets just say – you, me, in an hour, here. I'll ditch my date."

Ron stood there, dumbfounded. "You mean _here_, here? Alone? Doing what?"

"Let me put this as simply as I can. You should check your breath before coming." Lavender gave him a quick wink.

Ron just gaped; he couldn't believe what had just happened. _Am I that kind of guy? The kind of guy that would accept such a forward invitation from such a girl? NO, I'm not… or am I? _Ron's head burned as he wrestled with his thoughts. _Hey, I deserve this, I think… No, I _know_ I deserve this. _Ron smiled, having reached a decision... He _was_ thatkind of guy. At least for this one night.

"Ron, Ron?" Seamus half-shouted.

"Huh?" Ron hadn't noticed that Seamus had come back.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, never been better," Ron answered with a slight grin.

"Okay then, look, the Butterbeer is out."

"What? It's only been, like, an hour."

"Right, but what can I say? People sure do love Butterbeer. And the mob is getting restless."

"Um, I think Fred and George have extra in their shop."

"Then I suggest you go get it."

"I'm on it." Ron started to walk away then looked back at Lavender, who simply smiled and mouthed, "In an hour." Ron smirked, and then walked towards Harry, who, he was surprised to see, was deeply engaged in conversation with Ginny. He didn't know whether or not to be mad that he was basically flirting with his sister, but then he reasoned that he shouldn't spoil an evening that was going quite well for him. First it was the victory of the Quidditch match, and then it was Lavender. So instead he said, "Harry, the Butterbeer is out, want to give me a hand getting some more?"

Ginny saw Ron and quickly left after saying to Harry, "Um, I'm going to go sit and catch up on my reading. See you later, Harry."

Harry smiled and his eyes didn't leave Ginny until Ron cleared his throat. "Oh, right. Listen, Ron, um... I have to do... stuff. Yeah, stuff."

"Stuff?"

"Right."

"Harry, just go flirt with my sister, you don't have to lie."

"It wasn't a lie."

"Yeah… right."

"If you need someone's help, I think Hermione will give you a hand."

"Oh, yeah." Ron saw Harry head towards the fireplace, and looked at the corner where Hermione had been reading earlier. She was still there, and still reading. Ron started to approach her, still lost in thoughts about Lavender, unable to withhold a dumb smile. "Hermione, come on, I need you to help me get more Butterbeer."

Face still in book, Hermione replied, "Not even a please? Besides I'm reading my book. Go ask Harry."

"Ok fine, Hermione, will you _please _help me get more Butterbeer? Say yes because Harry is too _busy _with Ginny."

Hermione sighed.

Ron pulled Hermione's arm and got her up. Her hand still in his, he led her outside the portrait hole. Ron uttered a small laugh.

"What? Are you going on some hot date?" Hermione said with heavy sarcasm.

"No, just Lavender invited me to an evening of snogging, no strings attached."

Hermione rolled her eyes. Ron, a typical hormonal teenage boy.

Once outside the portrait hole, Ron led Hermione to a deserted hallway. "Okay, Hermione, I need you to transport us from here to Fred and George's shop to get more Butterbeer."

"Oh no Ron. I won't do it, do you how much trouble we could get into? Are you crazy? It's already bad enough that we're breaking the rules by bringing in Butterbeer into the common room. Look, I stood by that, but I will put my foot down when it comes to leaving Hogwarts's grounds. I won't do it, and I mean it."

"I wouldn't even be asking you if I had permission to Apparate."

"Oh, so you follow the rules for that?"

"Hermione, please. We'll just go in, get what we need and then we'll be back here in this very same spot. It shouldn't take over fifteen minutes."

Hermione uttered a long, heavy sigh, but nodded her head and said, "Fine, but just this once. And I must warn you that there is a spell that can transport us, but it's a really advanced spell. And I have only read it, never actually tried it." Hermione's face looked a slight worried.

"Come on, it's _you. _You're a clever girl, you can figure it out," Ron answered encouragingly. Hermione smiled.

_So he thinks I'm smart? Well, of course he does; I mean, he sees me as a smart girl. But that's it. I'm not going to get all worked up over that one sentence. _"Okay, I'll try it," she muttered, then stared down at her left hand, which, for some reason, Ron was still clasping. Ron followed her gaze and when he saw what Hermione was looking at so intently, he immediately let go of her hand. Hermione moved at least a foot from him, and they experienced some very awkward minutes, until Hermione cleared her throat to prepare for the spell she was about to perform. Instead of Hermione's voice, as he had expected, the next thing Ron heard was a very loud roar. All of a sudden, a gush of wind swirled around them and they were gone – far from Hogwarts...

Hermione stumbled onto a pavement, hitting her leg hard. She let out a groan. "Ouuucchh!"

Ron immediately fell right next to her. He looked at Hermione, and then his eyes searched his surroundings. "Where the bloody hell are we?"

Hermione, who was still on the ground, got up and looked around. Her eyes finally rested on the large building in front of them. She let out another groan. "Well, we're not at the joke shop; my spell must have gone wrong."

"No kidding," Ron said with heavy sarcasm. "Hermione, I know we're not where we planned to go. What I want to know is where _are_ we?"

Hermione turned her back to Ron. "Um... somehow, the spell transported us from the wizarding world to the Muggle world." She turned around to face him. "Ron, this is ASDA!"

Ron looked utterly confused. "What now?"

"ASDA, Ronald. It's a big chain of shops here in the Muggle world. This is one of the biggest shops I've ever seen, though – it must be one of the new ones that they've been building that sell _everything_."

"Okay..." He started to walk towards the store.

"Where are you going? People could've seen us."

"It doesn't look like there's a lot of people here, so I doubt anyone saw us." Ron appeared surprisingly calm. Hermione looked around. Ron was right; the parking lot was practically deserted. She was starting to relax a little until her eyes found a security guard stood at the door, talking with two women.

"Oh no! Ron, do you think he saw us?"

"I don't really know. I'm guessing not, since he seems to be in deep conversation with those ladies... pretty young women, too," he added with a slight grin. "You know, Hermione, Muggles aren't so bad."

Hermione looked like she was going to get mad for a minute, but then thought better of it. After all, Ron could flirt with whomever he wanted; he was just her close friend. Right? Ron's attention was snapped away from the two women when he got a better look at the shop. "Wow, that looks pretty cool," he said, pointing inside. "How about I go in and look around and then I come back? Sort of a pit stop."

"A pit stop? Oh, no, Ron. I don't even know how we're going to get back – or even whether we'll be _able_ to get back. We should try and find a way," Hermione said worriedly.

"A small pit stop, and like I said before, you're smart; you'll figure out sooner or later how to get back. I trust you."

"Trust me? Surely it should be a question of whether or not I trust _you_ to keep it a _small_ pit stop."

"It'll be small, I promise." He started to walk towards the building, stopping when he noticed that Hermione was chasing after him. "You don't have to come with me, all I'm going to do is take a look around and then I was coming back."

"Stay here? No, I'm not going to stay here while you go roam around in a place that massive! And it's cold, and if you must know I have to go to the bathroom."

"What do you mean, you have to go to the bathroom? A minute ago you were all for leaving straight away."

"It's called changing my mind, Ron," Hermione said matter-of-factly. They both started to walk, until Hermione spoke up. "Let's go faster." Ron smiled, thinking that it was rather amusing, and Hermione looked embarrassed.

They got to the door, but when Ron tried to open it, it wouldn't open. Hermione let out an exasperated moan. "It's locked."

"How can it be locked? There's still people in there," Ron said, pointing inside.

"Yeah, but they're going to be closing soon, so the people who were in there in the first place are coming out. This is just great." Hermione hopped a little in discomfort.

As Ron watched people coming out, he got an idea. When a family came out, he held the door open with his foot, and eh and Hermione exchanged glances. Hermione would usually have objected to the idea of sneaking in, but at that point her urges to find a bathroom were stronger than her sense of propriety. Ron continued to hold the door with his foot as Hermione scooted in, and then he followed. Ron gasped at the store. It was huge! There was even a shop that looked like some sort of food snack bar. His eyes searched the store in wonder. In its own way, it was truly amazing; Ron had never seen anything like it.

Hermione looked at Ron and said, "I'll go this way." She pointed to her left.

"And I'll go that way," Ron replied, pointing to his right. They each went in their separate directions.

Ron walked down each aisle, liking the store more and more all the time. Just as he went to turn a corner, he bumped into a bushy-haired figure. "Hermione?! Watch where you're going. Geez!"

"Give me a break. Come on." Hermione pulled on Ron's forearm.

"Wait, where are you taking me?"

"I need you to come with me," Hermione insisted.

Ron smiled. "What, you can't go to the toilet by yourself?" he asked sarcastically.

"Actually, no I can't," Hermione mumbled.

Ron could tell that Hermione was serious, so he agreed to accompany her.

_Ten minutes later..._

Ron stood outside the bathroom, waiting for Hermione to come out. When she finally did emerge, he shook his head at her.

"What?" Hermione gave him an innocent look. "Is it my fault the ladies' were closed for construction?"

"You couldn't go into the men's bathroom alone?"

Hermione sighed. "No, I couldn't. What if a man had walked in? I didn't really want to have the pleasure of making bathroom small talk with a stranger… in the men's bathroom. That is one of the things in life that is not up high on my list."

A small laugh escaped from Ron. "Who's going to come in? Aren't they closing in like five minutes?" At the moment Ron said that the lights of the store started to flicker off, one by one. Both Hermione and Ron gaped at the ceiling. They looked at one another... They started to run for the entrance... It was too late.

Hermione's eyes slowly closed as realization set in. Ron, on the other hand, banged with all his might on the door, hoping to catch the guard's attention.

"Ron, stop! It's useless, don't you get it? We're stuck here...maybe for the night."

Ron's face fell. "What?! We can't be stuck for the night! Isn't there this type of number we can call or something? I know my dad rants on and on about it."

Hermione stared in disbelief at a bewildered Ron. "You mean 999?"

"Yes, that's it! Let's call it."

"This is the Muggle world. Ron, come on, what are we supposed to say? I mean, this isn't exactly an emergency."

"How is it not an emergency?" Ron looked frantic.

"We are stuck in one of the biggest supermarkets in the country. Which is overflowing with junk, snacks, edible food, and the latest entertainment software. Oh yeah, this is definitely a tragic emergency."

"I can't believe you're not the slightest bit upset about this!"

"Well, I can't deny that I'm not exactly happy, but...wait. Why is this such a big deal?" _This is not like Ron at all._

"I just have to be somewhere, soon. That's all," Ron grumbled. He rubbed the back of his head.

And then it hit Hermione. "I cannot believe this. You were actually going to take up Lavender's repulsive invitation, weren't you?"

"Well, yeah. I am a guy, and all…" Ron mumbled.

Hermione let out a huff. "So that's the excuse when guys have hormonal urges? 'I'm a guy!' You are an absolute pig! You think it's great to get with a girl for only one night, and then forget about it? So, I guess you don't believe in one guy and one girl?" she hollered.

"Why do you even care? Isn't this _my_ life? Last time I checked, it was, and I don't see why you should have any say in what I choose to do! Besides, you can't call me a pig, since you're no better! Do you recall when you were all over Krum? Do you?"

Hot tears were threatening to stream down Hermione's face. "Don't you dare turn this dirty. You know perfectly well that what Viktor and I have is nothing more than friendship. Yes, I was attracted to him, and take note of the '_was'._ But now we're friends, and I am not going to let you turn that into something disgusting!"

"Oh, and I'm supposed to believe that crap?" Ron sensed Hermione's tears; in a way, he wanted to hold her, and tell her that everything was going to be okay, but he just couldn't. Instead he attacked her over Krum, everything he'd felt in his jealousy.

Hermione bit her bottom lip hard. "Look, Ron, I don't want to fight anymore, I really don't." She startled herself with how calm her own voice sounded. "But if you don't want to believe what I say, then I guess what you said earlier isn't true at all. You don't trust me." And with that, Hermione whirled around into the vast store, to walk...just walk, no thinking.

Ron's head burned. How could a girl make him both miserable and angry, and still be the girl who made him sane, too?

Hermione walked towards the aisle where the novels were held. Her face was dry; at that moment, the only thing she was feeling was contrition. She stared at the cluttered shelves of books, and then slowly reached for one. She studied the shelves carefully and then got to her knees. In dismay, and in order to get her mind off of things, she started to rearrange them by alphabetical order.

Ron couldn't believe that they'd had another argument. They had had too many already, and they always ended with him feeling like he had screwed up. Ron realized that he had indeed screwed up this time. _Maybe it's just destiny. Maybe in reality we are just not meant to be. Seven full years have passed, and it continues to be the same; friends. _He wanted so badly to believe that, but he couldn't. He wasn't going to let her go; he had watched people give up on the one person they truly loved, and he had learned that it was no use to give up; they always regretted it. And he, Ronald Weasley, was not going to give up on Hermione Granger.

Ten minutes later, Hermione had finished arranging the once cluttered shelves. She heaved a heavy sigh. She was good at organizing things. Really, it was her way of escaping. While others listened to music, she cleaned. She picked up a book from one of the shelves. She smiled at it. As much as she adored Hogwarts and the wizarding world, she loved Muggle literature. The book she had just picked up was one written by Emma Hemingway. She was quite fond of Emma Hemingway's work.

"Can never keep you away from books, can we?" The sudden comment popped out of mid air and Hermione let out a little 'oh'.

"Ron, I...um...I…" Hermione was lost for words.

"Hermione, you don't need to apologize, or even try to. I should be the one to apologize, I really should. It's just difficult." Ron stepped away from the aisle to go sit by the food court. Hermione caught up to him.

"Oh no, Ron. You are _not_ going to run away this time."

Ron looked Hermione square in the eyes. "Hermione, we need to seriously talk, you know that," he said gently.

Hermione's eyes dropped to her shoes. "I know."

"What's going on between us? I mean, one moment I want to hold you and the other we're ripping each other's heads off."

"I know, but I don't know what we're going to do."

Ron's hands tensed, but he knew he had to say it; if he didn't, he would regret it later. He searched her eyes, and then spoke. "Hermione, I...I... love you." He waited.

Nothing. All of a sudden Ron felt a wave of fear overcome him. He had just spilled one of his deepest secrets to Hermione, and there she sat, saying nothing. He was afraid of rejection, afraid of Hermione realizing what a git he was and rejecting his feelings.

Hermione cleared her throat. "Ron, I love you too. I've known for a while now. And as scary as it seems, I don't want to run away from it. I don't want to be stopped, I want to keep moving forward. Don't you realize it? The difficulty of speaking those three words is unimaginable. But I don't want to be scared anymore, because I mean it, every bit of it."

Ron turned to face Hermione, so close that she could smell his _Ron_ scent. It made her dizzy in a fluffy, light sort of way. It was a smell that made her feel safe but could make her lose her train of thought. "So what are we going to do about it?" he asked softly.

"I don't know, I honestly don't." She smiled. "But like I said, I'm not going to hide from it. We just need to resolve this in a rational and-"

"You think too much, Hermione." Ron leaned in, cutting her off.


End file.
